Wednesday, February 11: Arrival and Registration

Thursday, February 12: Promoting Statewide Strategies in the Arts and Health

Proponents of arts prescribing maintain that the practice can improve public health at minimal cost. Arts funders and arts organizations are critical partners in this growing model of care delivery. This session explores the idea of building a larger cohort of states participating in arts-on-prescription models. What are the health and economic benefits and, if such programs are feasible and effective, what would it take to expand them nationwide, state by state? What kinds of relationships, if any, should state arts agencies build with physicians and clinics, Medicaid carriers, and health insurance companies?  What would be required from a capacity perspective, and how much interest is there among state arts agencies in becoming involved?

Creative arts therapies and other arts and health interventions can help improve health and quality of life for military and veteran populations and their families. This session reviews lessons learned about serving military-connected populations through programs managed by state arts agencies and through National Endowment for the Arts Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants. How have participants found success in communicating the value of their programs, and what opportunities lie ahead for other organizations and communities to engage in such work?

To support the effective promotion of statewide strategies in the arts and health, research and evaluation are essential. This session addresses measuring and communicating the value and impact of arts and health strategies, including through program evaluation. What are key capacity constraints and how might they be resolved? How can state arts agencies and regional arts organizations begin to develop metrics to monitor progress with their arts and health strategies, and what kinds of partnerships should be created to promote research and data sharing?

Many studies suggest that integrating the arts with routine activities and programming for older adults can yield positive health outcomes. This session considers how state programs support lifelong learning through the arts, as well as arts interventions that address aging related conditions such as dementia and other cognitive and neurological disorders. In particular, the session examines the role of public-private partnerships for creative aging.

Cross-sector collaborations with the health sector are essential to arts and health programming. Several states have sustained successful long-term partnerships with departments of health and other relevant state organizations. This session explores how such partnerships are fostered and nourished. What can we learn from each other, what is the most effective use of federal support in this conversation, and are there statewide or national networks that can be organized for mutual benefit?

Friday, February 13: Community, Closing and Tours

What is needed from funders and organizations to sustain state level arts and health programs? How should the Arts and Health Professional Learning Community network be maintained?